First Day. Minnesota, also known as the “Land of 10,000 lakes” is one the healthiest states in the US. There are actually 11,824.

Eating local and organic is extremely important therefore I chose to incorporate Great Lakes Walleye into the band’s menu today. It was a huge hit, as was the first course which was filled with fresh spring vegetables. I tried to find fiddlehead ferns and morel mushrooms but apparently they are one week away from being in season here. I did however find some amazing wild ramps. I grilled these with a few other springs vegetables and added them to brown rice risotto garnished with purple basil and pea shoots.

In case you didn’t know, Walleye is one of the most popular freshwater fish in North America and native to most of Canada and the northern US. It also is low in calories and fat and is a good source of protein, magnesium, potassium, and B12.

As for dessert, today was a very special day. We had a crew party celebrating two big birthdays for Sheryl’s sons, Wyatt and Levi. We had chocolate cake with sea creatures and a vanilla Elmo with ice cream.